Teachers TV has joined forces with Film Club to conduct the biggest survey ever undertaken of feature films set in schools. Thousands of teachers voted. Mark Eccleston presents a countdown of the top ten Great School Movies with clips from the films and comments from teachers, actors, film directors and leading academics. Mark says, This fascinating list reveals a great deal about the way teachers think of their profession and the way they'd like to be seen. They seem to favour inspirational, sometimes overtly sentimental, accounts of school life, and have huge admiration for those on-screen teachers who dramatically change lives. Germaine Greer, who appears in the programme, believes there's a danger in movies stereotyping heroic charismatic teachers. She believes teachers don't have to be superhuman, they have to be good enough - like parents. Film Club's Beeban Kidron says of the results, These films entertain you but also challenge your perception of the world.

Video Series: Great School Movies
Release Date 2008